[House Report 117-583]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


117th Congress    }                                      {     Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session       }                                      {    117-583

======================================================================

 
   RESOLUTION OF INQUIRY REQUESTING THE PRESIDENT AND DIRECTING THE 
   SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS TO TRANSMIT, RESPECTIVELY, CERTAIN 
 DOCUMENTS TO THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES RELATING TO THE WAIT TIMES 
FOR VETERANS TO RECEIVE PRIMARY CARE, MENTAL HEALTH CARE, AND SPECIALTY 
  CARE APPOINTMENTS AT MEDICAL CENTERS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 
                                AFFAIRS

                                _______
                                

 November 22, 2022.--Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be 
                                printed

                                _______
                                

  Mr. Takano, from the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, submitted the 
                               following

                              R E P O R T

                      [To accompany H. Res. 1379]

    The Committee on Veterans' Affairs, to whom was referred 
the resolution (H. Res. 1379) of inquiry requesting the 
President and directing the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to 
transmit, respectively, certain documents to the House of 
Representatives relating to the wait times for veterans to 
receive primary care, mental health care, and specialty care 
appointments at medical centers of the Department of Veterans 
Affairs, having considered the same, reports favorably thereon 
with an amendment and recommends that the resolution as amended 
be agreed to.

                                CONTENTS

                                                                   Page
Amendment........................................................     1
Purpose and Summary..............................................     2
Background and Need for Legislation..............................     2
Committee Action.................................................     2
Hearings.........................................................     2
Committee Oversight Findings.....................................     2
Compliance With House Rule XIII and Congressional Budget Act.....     3
Earmark Statement................................................     3
Existing Programs................................................     3
Statement on Duplication of Federal Programs.....................     3
Applicability to Legislative Branch..............................     3
Changes in Existing Law..........................................     3
Supplemental, Additional, Dissenting, and Minority Views.........     4

                               AMENDMENT

    The amendment is as follows:
  Strike all after the resolving clause and insert the 
following:

That the President is requested, and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
is directed, to transmit, respectively, to the House of 
Representatives, not later than 14 days after the date of the adoption 
of this resolution, copies of all documents, charts, tables, notes from 
meetings, audio recordings, records (including telephone and email 
records), correspondence, and other communications, to the extent that 
any such one or more items are within the possession of the President 
or the Secretary, respectively, and refer or relate to the wait times 
for veterans to receive primary care, mental health care, and specialty 
care appointments at medical centers of the Department of Veterans 
Affairs.

                          PURPOSE AND SUMMARY

    The purpose of H. Res. 1379 is to request the President and 
direct the Secretary of Veterans' Affairs transmit, 
respectively, certain documents to the House of Representatives 
relating to the wait times for veterans to receive primary 
care, mental health care, and specialty care appointments at 
medical centers of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    A resolution of inquiry (ROI) is a simple resolution (as 
opposed to a joint resolution or concurrent resolution) that 
makes a non-binding demand for the Executive Branch to provide 
the U.S. House of Representatives with certain information.\1\ 
Pursuant to clause 7 of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives, if the committee of referral does not report a 
properly drafted ROI back to the House within 14 legislative 
days of the ROI's introduction, then any Member may offer a 
privileged (non-debatable) motion on the House Floor that such 
ROI be discharged from committee. By contrast, if an ROI is 
reported by committee (favorably or unfavorably) to the House 
within the 14-day window, then only an authorized Member of the 
reporting committee may call up the resolution on the floor.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\See generally CHRISTOPHER M. DAVIS, CONG. RES. SERV., IN10661, 
RESOLUTIONS OF INQUIRY IN THE HOUSE (updated July 21, 2022) https://
www.crs.gov/Reports/IN10661 and CHRISTOPHER M. DAVIS, CONG. RES. SERV., 
R40879, RESOLUTIONS OF INQUIRY: AN ANALYSIS OF THEIR USE IN THE HOUSE, 
1947-2017 (updated Nov. 9, 2017), https://www.crs.gov/reports/pdf/
R40879--of which the above text is largely excerpts.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

                            COMMITTEE ACTION

    H. Res. 1379 was introduced on September 21, 2022, by 
Representative Paul Gosar (R-AZ). The resolution was referred 
solely to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. On November 16, 
2022, the House Committee on Veterans Affairs met to consider 
the legislation. Chairman Takano offered an amendment in the 
nature of a substitute, which was agreed to by voice vote. The 
resolution, as amended, was adopted and ordered reported 
unfavorably to the House of Representatives by a voice vote.

                                HEARINGS

    Clause 3(c)(6) of House rule XIII requires designating a 
hearing as used to develop or consider certain bills and joint 
resolutions.

                      COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS

    In compliance with clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII and clause 
(2)(b)(1) of rule X of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives, the Committee's oversight findings and 
recommendations are reflected in the descriptive portions of 
this report.

           COMPLIANCE WITH HOUSE RULE XIII AND CONGRESSIONAL 
                               BUDGET ACT

    1. Cost of the Legislation and Congressional Budget Act. 
The Committee notes that the requirements of clause 3(c)(2) of 
rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and 
section 308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 do not 
apply to committee reports on simple resolutions.
    2. General Performance Goal and Objectives. To the extent 
that clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives may apply, the general performance goals and 
objectives of this resolution are to express a nonbinding 
demand from the House to the Executive Branch for certain 
documents as described in the text of the resolution.

                           EARMARK STATEMENT

    Clause 9 of rule XXI of the House of Representatives does 
not apply to reports on simple resolutions. However, the 
Committee find the legislation does not contain any 
Congressional earmarks, limited tax benefits, or limited tariff 
benefits as defined in clause 9 of rule XXI of the Rules of the 
House of Representatives.

                           EXISTING PROGRAMS

    Clause 3(c)(5) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives does not apply to committee reports on simple 
resolutions. However, the Committee finds that the legislation 
does not establish or reauthorize a program of the federal 
government known to be duplicative of another program.

              STATEMENT ON DUPLICATION OF FEDERAL PROGRAMS

    Section 423 of the Unfunded Mandate Reform Act does not 
apply to committee reports on simple resolutions. However, the 
Committee finds that the legislation contains no unfunded 
mandates as defined by the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.

                  APPLICABILITY TO LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

    Section 102(b)(3) of the Congressional Accountability Act 
does not apply to committee reports on simple resolutions. In 
any event, the Committee finds that the legislation does not 
relate to the terms and conditions of employment or access to 
public services or accommodations within the meaning of Section 
102(b)(3) of the Congressional Accountability Act.

                        CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

    Clause 3(e) of the rule XIII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives does not apply to the committee reports on 
simple resolutions. In any event, the Committee finds that this 
legislation, if agreed to by the House, would make no changes 
to existing law.

        SUPPLEMENTAL, ADDITIONAL, DISSENTING, AND MINORITY VIEWS

    There were no supplemental, additional, dissenting, or 
minority views filed with this report.

                                  [all]